Sutures are used to approximate, or bring together, tissue separated, for example, by some trauma, or wound or during a surgical procedure to close an incision or an organ perforation. Suturing instruments generally include a needle and a trailing length of suture material. In endoscopic procedures, the instruments placed through an instrument channel may include needles and sutures for stitching such a wound, incision or perforation within the patient's body cavity. An exemplary suturing device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,978.
In some cases, the leading, or distal end, of the suture material is attached during manufacture to a small anchor, sometimes referred to as a T-tag, to stabilize the tissue and the suture as the surgeon pulls the suture material through tissue. Anchors are commonly utilized to retain sutures in a patient's body. The anchors may be formed of metal, such as stainless steel or titanium, or of a biodegradable material. Several known anchors rely upon mechanical interlocks between the body tissue and the anchor to retain the anchor in place against the influence of forces transmitted through the suture to the anchor. It has previously been suggested to construct anchors in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,405,359; 5,403,348; 5,203,787; 5,046,513; and 5,041,129.
In many cases, however, the suture does not include an anchor and the ends of the suture are tied using conventional suturing and knotting techniques. Only after the wound or incision is sutured, does the practitioner, such as a surgeon, physician, or clinician, determine that a suture anchor is needed. It is not believed that securing sutures with an anchor, after the suture is already in place, has heretofore been done. It is the current thought that the wound or incision would have to be sutured a second time with an anchor/suture combination.
Physicians have often used endoscopes to examine, to biopsy, and to ablate the tissue of patients within lumens such as the esophageous and the bowel or other body cavity and internal patient sites. An endoscope generally includes either a rigid or flexible tube containing one or more optical fiber systems and, for operative uses (human or veterinary), one or more channels for passage of medical instruments. The optical system includes a light delivery system to illuminate the organ or site under inspection and a camera system to transmit the image of the site of interest to the viewer. The light source is normally outside the body and the light is typically directed via optical fiber bundles to the area of interest. A physician performing a therapeutic procedure with the use of an endoscope places a long, flexible instrument through the endoscope's instrument channel and then positions the instrument near the site within the body cavity, lumen or other internal site of interest where a therapeutic procedure is to be performed.